


After School-Life

by SmallbitofDespair



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Afterlife, Childhood Trauma, Daiya is alive, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enoshima Junko Being An Asshole, F/F, F/M, Goodbye Despair Characters are referenced, Hifumi is a tad creepy, Hifumi is practically Celestes butler, How in the hell does one tag, I honestly just looked at Takaaki's Hit List page, I reread my tags and decided that some of my things don't fit, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, In the killing game Taka lowkey stole Mondos jacket, Internalized Homophobia, Ishimaru is bad at social cues, Ishimaru knows that, Junko Enoshima is annoying, Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Killing Game is referenced a lot as the story continues, M/M, Male Pronouns for Fujisaki Chihiro, Mikan almost figured it out, Mikans still bad at socializing, Mondo may remember similar things to him, Mondo probably smokes, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Owada Mondo Swears, Sayaka has made her appearance, She may or may not be OOC, Social Issues, Taka is bad at understanding a joke, Taka is increasingly getting more concerned on himself, Taka still has attachment to Mondo-, Takaaki is a really nice person, Togami Byakuya Being An Asshole, references to Kiyotakas Past a little bit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:49:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24263878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmallbitofDespair/pseuds/SmallbitofDespair
Summary: "Ishi. . .?"". . . ISHIMARU!"The yell of his name woke him up. An awful throbbing pain coming from the back of his head as he slowly lifted himself up enough to look at who was trying to wake him up; His ruby colored eyes almost struggling to stay open, but he got a glimpse of messy, light-brown hair in front of him before his vision fully focused onto his friend, Chihiro."C-Class is over. You passed out suddenly on your desk! D-Do you need a nurse?!"
Relationships: Asahina Aoi/Ogami Sakura, Fukawa Touko/Togami Byakuya, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo, Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto
Comments: 10
Kudos: 126





	1. Rude Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing a fanfic, sorta. At least seriously.
> 
> I apologize if it is bad and if how I write the characters is OOC
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys like my take on Danganronpa.

_"I found a hole we could use to escape. ~~Monokuma~~ cant find out. So don't tell anyone else for now. Meet in the equipment room at 6AM."_

_He wasn't sure what he felt.. Fear? Confusion?_

_All he could do is wonder who is asking to meet with him, alone in a room for hopes that they can escape Hopes Peak Academy. Why would he trust them?_

_He soon arrived in the equipment room, gripping his note tightly in his hand as he waited for the new person to show up. His identity crisis going away after the argument with Hifumi, Mondo would've been disappointed in him, hiding under a fake name, a name that just combined him and his Kyoudais._

_He could feel the tears pricking into his eyes, moving his arm so he could quickly wipe them away, not wanting to cry near the mystery person._

_A shadow was coming up behind him, a quick rush of nerves coming from him as he started to turn himself around to greet them.._

_**Pain**_.

_There was pain_

_But things went dark fast.._

_Everything was black_

* * *

_"Ishi. . .?"_

_". . . ISHIMARU!"_

The yell of his name woke him up. An awful throbbing pain coming from the back of his head as he slowly lifted himself up enough to look at who was trying to wake him up; His ruby colored eyes almost struggling to stay open, but he got a glimpse of messy, light-brown hair in front of him before his vision fully focused onto his friend, Chihiro.

"C-Class is over. You passed out suddenly on your desk! D-Do you need a nurse?!"

Kiyotakas eyes suddenly widened, watching his friend with confusion before he slowly stood himself up, his legs being weak under his weight, one of his hands holding onto his desk to keep himself as steady as he possibly could be, "Nonsense, Fujisaki-San! I must have stayed up too late studying last night, I do have a History test at the end of the day!" 

Chihiro trusted him with his secret a month in advance. Chihiro had been training with someone since then, he even changed his uniform to the more masculine one. He was strong. Taka was always proud of him for coming out of his shell.

Chihiro seemed to have relaxed at his friends sudden upbeat attitude, moving his hands to his face to gently wipe away the tears that formed in his eyes. A tiny smile forming on his face as he sighed in relief, "G-Good, You had me worried for a moment, Taka.. You should try sleeping a little more." He muttered shyly, his doe-like eyes beginning to look away from him, It was clear he was still upset with him for his sleeping problems, his disappointment being silent, but wellknown by Taka.

He couldn't even keep his only friend completely happy with him. He knew he always disappointed Chihiro, he didn't even have much in common with the smaller man. He didn't know programs, computers, or games like he did. But for some reason, Chihiro still saw a reason to like him, treat him with respect despite knowing about his grandfathers mistakes; risking his own potential popularity with the other students, for him. He truly wasn't worth a friend like Fujisaki.

He quickly shoved down his feeling of regret and confusion from a few minutes ago, his hands going straight to his hips to put on a more confident based pose, a happy smile forming on his face. "I shall think about your suggestion, then! Maybe I can study an hour in advance of my current bedtime? I feel as if that would be most efficient! I shall dream of the studying!" His tone came back to normal once he registered where he was, a loud, confident voice coming back to him. A really gentle giggle coming from his friend. He soon realised what time it was, his stance changing to a much more assertive one,"Chihiro! you are going to be late for class! I am no excuse for tardiness!" 

A tiny groan came from Chihiro, but he soon nodded his agreement, beginning to slowly walk himself out of the classroom, Taka following right behind him, almost escorting him to class.

The hallway was always crowded, Ishimaru knowing his way around crowds by now, even being able to pick out when students weren't heading to their designated areas, he could usually tell just by how they'd try to shield themselves behind others in the herd of students. Taka always wondered how they'd think it would work for them. The hall monitor was one of the taller students in the school (At least to him he was), he'd be able to pick them out rather fast once he realizes; most people don't even go near him when they're in the hallway, scared that they would be suddenly lectured on how _"Texting and walking isn't welcome in a school environment! You shouldn't even have your phone out!" ._

A whiff of smoke passed by him, a sudden feeling of despair coming with it. He almost could swear he smelt..fire.. Was there a fire somewhere in the school?

That's ridiculous. Crazy even.. Nobody would ruin their education like a madman!

His eyes darted to where the scent came from, a look of confusion coming from him when he saw the cause.

_Celestia Ludenberg?_

Why would Celestia Ludenberg, the SHSL Gambler, smell so heavily of smoke? As far as the Moral Compass was aware, Celeste didn't smoke, and didn't have friends who did smoke. He must be thinking of someone else.. Perhaps that biker leader got by him without him noticing. That has to be the only explanation! Right?

He quickly moved himself towards the Gambler. The girl not noticing him until the male beside her turned around, he was a heavyset man, his face..almost resembled a hamster, maybe even a gerbil? But he suddenly felt, ..unsafe. His fear skyrocketing when he was near the two, the heavyset man, (Hifumi? He believes his name is Hifumi), had a hand resting on the back of his head as well; a headache. Maybe he had the same problem he did! Headaches had to be going around like wildfire this time of year, most likely!

He struggled to find words for a moment, soon entering a clearly faked confident stance, his ruby eyes trying their hardest to not look away from him, having a automatic instinct to keep an eye on the two in front of him, "U-Uh.. I apologize for stopping you! But I couldn't help but notice that one of you may smell like smoke! Did either of you possibly smoked recently? Smoking is completely against the rules and is not welcome in a learning environment, not to mention the health risks! I'll have to a-ask..you to..-.." He suddenly lost his voice, a flash of pink in his eyes.. What was happening? Why did this all start second he came near..?

Why did his head hurt again..?

Celeste watched him for a moment, a completely calm, neutral face being plastered in front of him, a small smile coming from her once Hifumi positioned himself to be slightly in front of her. It appeared he was carrying something of hers, at least, it seemed like it, the bag having almost the exact same style as the girl in question. "Ah. It is completely fine. I do believe me and Hifumi passed by one those, bikers..A little further down the hall. I believe he had a rather interesting hairstyle, you shouldn't miss him." 

So he was right. Mondo Oowada, the biggest delinquent in Hopes Peak Academy, covered two other students in cigarette smoke. What else could he expect other than him? Taka had taken him into detention at least once a week, if he was unfortunate enough, sometimes even twice a week. The biker had no want to even be here, which was surprising to him. Why work hard enough to get into this school, the school of ultimates, if you weren't going to even put in a ounce of effort into everyday work! Only time he tried was at gym class.. But he supposed he understood. However it did not excuse the constant tardiness that came from him!

"I should've known! Well then! You both shall continue going to class, I'm going to go and locate the true source of this..this absolute betrayal of the rules!" His voice seemed to have grown louder in his current predicament, getting more and more nervous the more he spoke to the two, maybe his nap a while ago had something to do with it? Well, He should not focus on this right now. He swiftly turned himself around, beginning to head further down the hall where he saw the two come from. A tiny squeal being heard from behind him as they all parted ways.


	2. Oddly Familiar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiyotaka had finally found the culprit!
> 
> But why was his presence causing unwanted feelings?

Kiyotaka soon went down the hallway that Celeste had told him to go down, moving through the students at a relatively quick pace without the need for running, trying to keep the rules of the school in his priorities while searching for the smoker hidden somewhere within the hallway. His eyes watched as all the students tried to avoid bumping into him. He eventually made it towards the end of one of the halls, specifically, the hallway going towards the gym area. Not many students were around this spot, as all students should have already been inside of their classrooms or were pretty much there at around this point in time. After a minute of searching through the few items scattered around the gym, he definitely found something he was looking for.

A cigarette bud! Of course! He had to admit, hiding your misdeeds underneath your gang’s branded coats would’ve worked out due to the size of it. But unfortunately for the biker, Taka had mesmerized every delinquent’s class schedules, including his own and Chihiros. He knew Mondo was not supposed to have any business near the gymnasium at around this hour. After a moment of thinking to himself, he simply stood straight beside the jacket he found on the floor, waiting until Mondo would return to retrieve the item in question. But, for some odd reason, he almost felt some sort of attachment to the object, even if he’s never truly seen it off of the person until this very moment. There was something almost comforting about it...

Hmph. Fantasizing about another classmate's clothing..? How sickening of him to even think such odd things about a jacket of all things, it belongs to a delinquent, a biker gang leader. A person who wouldn’t be able to succeed due to his lack of caring or want of success. He was just a biker. A troublemaker. Someone who no doubt would simply just attack him for even being near his prized jacket. 

He suddenly began to feel a tad more emotional the more he stared down at the jacket worn by the gang leader. Something about it made him so...sad. He didn’t get it. He barely even talks to the guy unless he has to lecture him on something he was doing that was clearly not allowed! 

What he was currently doing wasn’t even allowed. 

A familiar sound of heavy footsteps tore him out of his trance. His eyes wandering to the location of them, instinctively getting excited at the thought of seeing Mondo. At least until he noticed his odd behaviors, going back to standing in a normal positioning. The biker soon turning the corner, stopping the moment he saw the Hall Monitor near his stuff.

“Greetings, Mondo! A fellow student had informed me that you had been smoking on school grounds, I’d very much appreciate it if you would rid yourself of any other contraband,” Kiyotaka started saying, trying to keep his composure as well as he could, “You also are incredibly tardy to your next class. You were supposed to arrive precisely at 11 AM sharp! It is currently-” He paused for a moment, quickly checking his wristwatch to get the exact time on him, “11:20!”

“The fuck?! Who the hell tipped you off?! Why are you touching my shit!” Mondo said automatically, quickly moving so he could aggressively grab his jacket from the floor; slinking it over his shoulders so he could start putting it on instead. Purple eyes now locking directly onto the red eyes on the other

Kiyotaka watched in his own confusion for a moment, nearly going into a trance as he stared into the other’s eyes for a minute, quickly diverting eye contact with him to try making himself appear more convincing to the other, “I cannot give you that sort of information on who told me about your whereabouts! And please watch your language, we are on school grounds and its not going to be tolerated.”

The biker simply grunted in response; allowing the other to lecture him for another minute before he began to sneak away from him, knowing whenever it was a good time to leave the Monitor alone. The lectures always lasting a long while, making both parties even later than they already were for their classes. However, it was made clear that Kiyotaka simply began following him instead of staying still. 

“Mondo! This is not the direction of your class at the moment, You are meant to be in a completely opposite hall! I’m going to have to ask you to turn around before I have to turn you myself!” 

Mondo rolled his eyes at the smaller man’s attempts in scaring him. As if Kiyotaka of all people in this school would manage to push him around with ease, He’d like to see him try, but he’d easily be overpowered in such a situation-- Wait..didn’t he already see this door..? 

Wait a minute…! 

“W-What the fuck?!” 

“As I said before, I would have to start pushing you myself if you did not cooperate! You are supposed to be in Math right now, luckily I just came from there, so we should have zero problems heading back!” Taka said, using all of his strength to push the larger one of the two towards the last classroom he had been too, although, he had to make sure they stayed within the most reasonable speed he could muster at the moment. “I am generally surprised at how easy you are taking this!”

Did he just…?

Fuck. That.

Mondo had allowed a few more seconds of the others boasting, but soon enough, he quickly turned the tables on him. In one swift movement, he pinned the other to the wall, Taka’s red eyes widening somewhat, but he didn’t make one attempt to even struggle under the others grasp. But, the biker just saw it as an easier way of threatening him, the less scared they are the easier it was to have the heart to even assault them. He was strong. Taka was weak for not even trying to defend himself right now.

“Listen here, I am not goin’ to be dragged around like a fuckin’ poodle by someone like you. I could easily fuckin’ kill you here and now, and nobody would even notice it.” He said, his voice going down to an aggressively low volume as he spoke, “Learn to mind your own damn business once in a while,” He finished, watching as the man under him continued to just hang from where he was holding him, a huff of annoyance coming from the biker as he slowly lowered him back down. Taka seeming a little confused on how their conflict ended so easily, and abruptly almost. Was he expecting things to get physical? He doesn’t have the time to indulge in the hall monitors fucked up fantasies, surprisingly, he wanted to just get the day over with to get the other man to leave him alone. But the poor sight of a guy waiting to be assaulted wasn’t working for him.

“You said I had Math, right? Just...lead the way normally, won’t ya? No draggin’ me around this time. I can fuckin’ walk.” He said, keeping an aggressive tone in hopes the other wouldn’t even make another attempt to drag him around. With a look of defeat mixed in with slight confusion, he began to lead the taller of them both through the hallway once again.

Taka kept himself quiet for the majority of the walk. He felt conflicted, he didn’t want to get caught into an argument with Mondo again, but he couldn’t help but feel some sort of...joy; when walking with him anyway. It felt soothing, it felt...like he’s done this before. It certainly wasn’t the first time he had to escort a student to their classroom, but this time it felt foreign. What did Kirigiri call it that one time..? Jamais Vu? Maybe he walked Mondo to class recently, that must be why he feels weird about doing it again so early! But why doesn’t he remember it...? Why was everything...

Spinning?

“H-Hey! There a reason you stopped walkin’? Aren’t you escorting me or some stupid shit...?” Mondo asked, nearly bumping into the monitor from his sudden stop in the hallway. His purple eyes glaring down in his growing annoyance in the lack of response but soon sighed, clearly the kid was having a tough time. He’s an asshole, but not enough of one to completely watch someone go through god knows what right now. “Do ya need a nurse or somethin’?”

“A-Ah!” Taka immediately muttered, one of his hands slinking up to his head, gently holding it as a wave of pain suddenly went through him. He kept his composure in front of the other, however. his crimson eyes closing as he focused on the sudden headache he had gotten. “N-No, I apologize. I must’ve caught something at some point! But I will not allow for it to keep me down!” His expression read differently, tears had formed into his eyes at some point; it made him remember how he hated how emotional he usually was, Mondo probably thinks he’s even more psychotic now, and for some reason, that made him feel bad. He didn’t want Mondo to hate him. 

He shouldn’t even care about this guy’s opinion.

Why did he care about his opinion...

“I would just go home. But whatever I guess.” Mondo replied with a small shrug, deciding to take the lead instead. He already knew he was going to be a lot tardier because of Taka, that’s just how it typically went from anyone who was caught in his lecturing. He always wondered what the point was of stopping someone for being late, and then lectured them for almost a whole hour about it; he couldn’t help the chuckle he got from himself when thinking about it further.

Taka began to hesitantly follow, his hand staying on his head. Maybe he should listen to the advice of Chihiro and get himself checked out, you can’t focus on a class if you’re distracted by something such as a headache! He’d barely get any work done all day with this! He silently agreed with himself. He’d have to only hope he wouldn’t be sent home for the day... He can already hear the disappointment from his family just from thinking about it. “It’s that one! Closest to the AV room!” He said, perking up once he had taken notice of their surroundings. A grunt of affirmation coming from the male in front of him.

The two had exchanged no further words. It was expected almost; A biker gang leader such as him wouldn’t ever be seen dead around a rule-abiding hall monitor, Besides, They weren’t friends. All Taka did was bring him to class, that is all. He had to admit, the thought of being friends with him almost made him excited, a good excited! Why was that? He shouldn’t even be thinking of ever communicating any further with someone like him! 

He pushed his thoughts aside for now.

He had to go and pay the nurse a quick visit on his way to his next class. Perhaps just a quick lay-down is all he needs to get back in studying shape!.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recently found out that working on new chapters at 3 in the morning helps me write a lot longer things. So my update times will be very janky for a while until I can make it work for normal daytimes
> 
> I hope everyone is having a fun and safe quarantine!


	3. Not Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taka had a run-in with another familiar face...
> 
> He soon learns he's not the only one with odd thoughts on the school and people

Taka soon found himself walking up to the nurse’s office, taking a small note on how many times a day he truly went through this hall. It felt like he’s been down it more than just the two years he’d been here though, somewhere deep inside of his head anyway. It was odd. It only made his head go around in circles again on why everything felt so weird and abnormal to him. He’s been through this hall so many times and only now it started to feel like such an odd thing to do.

He sighed somewhat; if he had to be honest, he’s actually never gone to the nurse’s office. Even when he was hurt badly, he just waited the injuries out, until he felt better at least; standing himself in front of this pink door made him anxious in a way. What if they were going to tell him to head home? Headaches truly aren’t that bad right? Besides, this ache wasn’t bothering him that much anymore! Maybe he should just walk away while he still has the chance to---

“You should go inside if you have a headache, y’know. Nurse Tsumiki should have helpful things!” 

He...felt like he recognized the voice. It was most certainly a female. But one that felt familiar to him. He’s never talked many of the girls in the school, he had to admit he did occasionally have a tea with a girl named Aoi, but he never saw her outside of class, the girl was always a busy bee like him, except hers was always in a physical way. Wait a minute...Did the girl just read his--

“A-Ah!” He muttered in his confusion, his voice suddenly coming back to him; His crimson eyes scanning his environment, soon taking it in that the girl was actually behind him, was she waiting to go in too? He pushed his confused thinking away and turned himself to face the girl, forcing his eyes to meet with her blue ones, “I-I’m sorry? Was I thinking out loud?” 

A small giggle came from the girl, a serious look soon forming on her face once she thought about it, her hands cupped in front of her, “Nope! I’m physic.”

What?

Physic? That’s not...can people really do that?! Are there actual people who can read minds in school? He supposes it wouldn’t be far off, this school is meant for the most skilled unique students; but mind-reading? SHSL Mind Reader? Is...that a job you can get…? She must’ve seen his expression, the girl giggling softly in front of him; seeing his clear confusion with her comments.

“I’m just kidding, y’know! I just have a really good intuition.” Oh! It was a joke! He supposes where he was going was a bit of a stretch on talents, he doubts there are actual people who are able to read someone’s mind. That’s just crazy, isn’t it? He almost felt a bit odd for even thinking about such a skill. But there students who likely believed in such supernatural abilities like physic abilities. Taka then took a minute to try recognizing who was actually in front of him; blue hair and eyes, a uniform that almost reminded him of a sailor outfit. But there was really something he couldn’t put his finger on, he honestly thought he’s heard this conversation once before. Did he? Maybe that’s why she’s so familiar-looking, He must’ve heard her and her friends talking. But there was really something...else… Wait! Sayaka Maizono, that’s who she is!

“I am sorry! You must have business with the nurse, you may feel free to go in front of me and do what you need to do!” There were plenty of reasons to be nice to her. He had no interest in her like that, but this is the Ultimate Pop Sensation, Sayaka Maizono! She was practically royalty in the school. Now, he usually doesn’t care about such titles, everyone is relatively equal in his mind, But a girl like her is surrounded by popular people. She shouldn’t have to communicate as much as she is with him. It is really best for her to go in front. Besides, her injury seems better; Taka had taken a mental note on her wrist. It almost appeared broken looking. Broken bones versus a headache, clearly broken bones are higher up!

“Oh the bones not broken! It just hurts a lot. I could barely even focus on my work! If you want we can head in at the same time. Don’t worry about it!” She began to move in front of him, one of her hands gently grasping onto the handle of the nurse’s office, turning her head to see if Taka would follow her. He couldn’t help but smile somewhat, she was nothing like the other popular students. She was a kind person. Most of the higher-ups within Hopes Peak were rude to him for plenty of reasons he could understand. He tried not to focus on it, walking behind the popstar so they could both enter the nurse’s office together. 

“O-Oh, Maizono. You must be here f-for your wrist checkup!” The nurse started saying, immediately noticing the new face that had entered her office, the girl’s nerves seeming to automatically spark up once again at the new face. “O-Oh! Um...I’ve never s-seen you ever have a need to come in here..” She said, her eyes slowly drifting away from the two in her own awkward way. But she perked back up once she noticed Taka reach behind his head once it started to throb again. “Y-you must be here for a head injury?”

“I do not believe it is a head injury! It is just a headache because I had stayed up extremely late in order to study for my classes. Students recommended I came here for your opinion on it!” Taka had replied, seeming to question her for a moment. She jumped really quickly” onto the assumption that he had hurt himself in some way; but he knew that wasn’t the case whatsoever with his sudden head pains. Mondo hadn’t pushed him hard enough against the lockers to hurt him like that, and besides, It’s been a while since his last physical confrontation with troublemakers. All he could think of was how exhausted he was earlier. It was enough to make Fujisaki worry about him, and he even passed out during class! Head Injuries don’t do those things….he thinks?

“W-Well... Would it be okay for me to check? I-I’m sorry but it might just, h-help out my understanding!” 

Well, He supposes it would be a new experience. He never had to go to the nurse’s office before, but now he could finally have some sort of topic when it came to communicating with other students. Nurse trips were common, right? 

“I suppose Nurse Trips are common enough! Although, I don’t see it as a good conversation starter.” Sayaka had added, Taka having to think back on her way of joking around with people. How obvious was his way of thinking to her? Nobody else has been able to read him so quickly and easily like that! It was almost scary. Taka soon nodded his head, Tsumiki soon moving closer to him to begin testing him on his functions; Sayaka moving to watch the two instead, she didn’t seem to be in much of a rush to get back to her classes anyway, and this did seem like a decent learning experience. He’ll allow it for now!

“U-Um… Have you had any loss of consciousness recently? I-its a common symptom with head trauma..” Mikan had asked, picking up something to test him with, specifically, a cotton swab, moving the hand holding it back and forth in range with his eyesight. He could admit, he could barely even focus on the swab being moved around in front of him, his crimson eyes being a second late when it came to following it back and forth. Mikan taking a mental note on his lack of concentration.

“I did end up passing out in my Math Class! But, as I’ve mentioned I was up extremely late last night. I apologize for doubting you, but I haven’t had anything happen to me as of now that could’ve possibly hurt me that badly!” Taka said, his normal volume coming back as he progressively got more nervous. Head Trauma… It wasn’t even a possibility in his own head, there was no way he had a secret case of head trauma despite the lack of physical confrontation he’s had over the last week. 

“Hm… S-Some cases end up showing weeks after the actual injury is made. You’re having headaches aren’t you?” 

She was still going with this idea…?

“Yes, but I have come to notice I am not the only one experiencing it! Hifumi Yamada appears to have the same problems as me. This could be because we both had stayed up, or perhaps do you think I may have bumped my head during my wakeup earlier?” He was really hoping head trauma wasn’t the case. With head trauma he would no doubt be forced to head home! He could not miss a day of school like this, the thought is just completely crazy! There would be so much more studying to keep up! He was not going to let a headache stop him like this.

“M-might need to check up on him at some point then... And that is a possibility. You are showing signs of exhaustion and/or head trauma. I-If I take what you are telling me to heart with no injuries for a while, you may be correct on your not sleeping alibi, just maybe you’ve been staying up later than you think? T-Try to rest more when you return home...”

Taka had nodded in his agreement to her statement, a small sigh of relief coming from him once he got the news of being possibly completely fine. But his relaxing ended quick, His crimson eyes suddenly widening once he realized Sayaka was still waiting for her turn to be checked over, awkwardly moving out of the way for her. Mikan had become visibly confused by the sudden switch in students but calmed herself before she could even begin panicking or questioning it, beginning to gently check out Sayaka's wrist once again. “U-Um...Is it as bad as it was earlier this week?” 

Taka had almost spaced out during her checkout. He swears he remembers something about a student with a broken wrist on top of another injury, but why couldn’t he place a finger onto who it was, were they even okay? He was supposed to know almost everything about his fellow students. He was here to make sure they would do a good job and would be okay...So why was this one student making him so confused? Why couldn’t he figure out if the student he heard about was okay? ...Why does he remember groups of students he’s never even spoken to before? Everything was confusing to him; He must be delusional, right? Perhaps instead of studying he should take a tiny nap instead. That may do him some good. The day had to be pretty much over by now..He skipped an entire class without him even realizing it. He’ll make it up to the teacher, he swears on it! Even if he has to do tons of extra work!

The Pop Sensation was soon done with her check-in, moving her wrist around somewhat to test the waters, a tiny flinch forming of her face once she heard a tiny noise coming from her hand, her face darkening automatically at the noise from her bones. It had made Taka uncomfortable too, something about listening to that sound made him nervous..in a way. But he didn’t dare comment on it. The girl was probably freaking out about it, maybe she was just good at hiding it…

He was kicked out of his thoughts rather quickly. 

The day had ended. Or at least, educational parts of their day had ended. Everyone usually would return back to their dorms at this time, but of course there were a few who went up to the different floors to engage in random clubs they've created; swim teams, perhaps do some art or even hang around the physics lab. Hope's Peak never really ceased to amaze him, all of the activities you could do in such a place was overwhelming, especially when it was all so new to him at the same time. He had never played many games, he doesn’t read unless its a book needed for studying, on occasions, yes; he’d go and hang around Chihiro, who gladly helped him figure out what he enjoyed doing. He found that he likes the Sauna, Chess, and a few other brain-teaser games. Chihiro found him strange for playing something only if it meant it would enhance his thinking skills, He was one of those people who saw it as a way of entertaining yourself; Taka had to admit, It was one of the things he and Fujisaki didn’t agree on entirely, But he accepted his friend’s interests, and even debated trying to get into the games he played.

“Y-You two should..um..maybe head out. It’s Freetime isn’t it? Ishimaru, you should rest up at your -room- house for a while. J-just in case!” Mikan had timidly said, seeming nervous about suggesting that sort of idea to him, seeing him as a somewhat intimidating person. He didn’t take it too personally however, Chihiro had told him the Nurse had problems with communicating, much as he did. 

“Of course! I shall go and rest up then! It is good to keep my energy for more important matters down the line!” He replied hastily, his confidence coming back once again, his arms instinctively moving down to his sides as he began to almost march towards the dorms. He could faintly hear the sound of Sayaka cheerfully saying goodbye to him. It was nice talking to people. Especially when they didn’t seem to have any idea why they should dislike him. It gave him so many chances to befriend at least a few of the students in Hopes Peak academy. But of course, word got around about him to a few of the other students, He tried to not think about it much though, Luckily the walk to the dorms was short…

But when he walked through that familiar-looking door...

There were no dorms.

That was strange...He swore there were rooms in this hallway, but instead, he was greeted with the Cafe, and a bathhouse (Granted he didn’t know why that was even there, Perhaps for the ultimates who are more sporty? They have a higher chance of getting messy don’t they?) but the thought of being wrong about such a thing made him confused. He knew there used to be something here like that...But the more he thought about it the more it didn’t make sense to him.

A high school, with dorm rooms? That was odd. An odd thought at least. Hope's Peak would have to be a college with that sort of logic thrown in! Where did he even get the idea of dorms in a highschool anyway? Clearly he meant to walk home instead, right?

He sighed out of his own inner annoyance. He knew that dorms weren’t a typical high school thing! He really needs that nap before he starts thinking a talking bear will rule the world or some other ridiculous thought! He’s never had such odd thoughts when he was tired. Honestly, he was pretty much the same whether he was tired or fully awake. A need for success no matter what! That was a good trait! Nothing would ever keep him down!

“Didja think there was somethin’ cool here too?” 

...Wonderful. It was him again...

“A-Ah! I suppose I may have gotten myself confused when trying to leave the building!” He felt oddly nervous around him. It was weird… As far as he was aware they both only had aggressive or bad encounters with each other; never ones that would ever be considered as remotely friendly whatsoever. 

“That’s a stupid fuckin’ excuse. Everyone knows some genius like you wouldn’t be this fuckin’ stupid.” Mondo had replied, wanting to make some sort of point to the monitor in front of him. But something seemed off with him rather quick, Crimson eyes widening ever so slightly once he had thought about what was said to him. 

“W-what..? I apologize, but I believe you’re mistaken! I am no genius! I worked extremely hard to get where I am now!” He said confidently, trying not to let his stutter make him appear any more nervous than he already was, crimson eyes staring into the biker’s purple eyes. He internally hoped that Mondo wouldn’t keep the conversation going, but he knew how stubborn the guy was; He was a guy he really did not want to upset at the moment. He’s gotten into plenty of fights with Mondo, and it was safe to say he never really won any of them.

“Ugh, Fuckin’ Whatever..” Mondo had muttered under his breath. He really wasn’t in the mood to get into another argument with this guy, despite how fucking annoying he was to him. This wasn’t what he came up to him for, there was something much more important to talk about right now. “...Didja think there were more rooms here? Like, ...Dorms? I thought that too a few days ago..”

How did he guess that? His way of thinking must really be obvious if he and Sayaka can just look at him and guess what he was thinking about. “I suppose! But I have not slept very well, so I do believe whatever I came here for is ultimately affected by my current mindset! Perhaps you should rest more as well!”

“Don’t fuckin’ boss me around!” The biker had immediately replied, his voice was loud yet aggressive. It caused Taka to cower ever so slightly from the sudden change in his tone, but he bit his tongue, avoiding making any further comments on the vulgar language presented to him. Even if class was currently out, he was swearing within the school environment! “So, you think the same thing right!” He continued, still keeping his usual aggressive tone and angry look. Did talking to Taka really upset him that much already?

“...Yes. I did believe there were supposedly more rooms down this hallway! Maybe my memory had fooled me however!”

“..Hmph… We’ll be continuing this conversation some other time.” Mondo said, averting his gaze from the monitor, now having a few more things to think about. He soon turned himself away from him, beginning to head back towards where all the normal classes and such were. Taka was left there in his own confusion, his crimson eyes watching as he walked away.

He felt odd watching him leave again. There really was something odd happening here. He and Mondo having a similar thought process...Mondo was actually nice to him too? Perhaps he and the biker can forget their silly feud once and for all.

He actually felt extremely...excited about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really debated on if I wanted Mikan to start making appearances in my fic. I can see ultimates with talents such as Nurse or even Team Manager to be the students who seem to have extra authority in the school, they assist teachers on occasion to hone their skills more.
> 
> If it doesn't make sense, sorry--


	4. There are more?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiyotaka has more dreams of something that never happened... 
> 
> But hes not the only one experiencing such sudden memory loss on the schools layout either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, its sad on how long this took for me to do. 
> 
> I did finish the second game though during my time off from writing!

Screaming…

He remembered screaming so loud…

There were bright colors everywhere, a cage lined up in the middle of them all. It almost reminded him of a circus. There were a few tiger cutouts on top of the cage, an attempt of giving it this almost ‘cool’ feel to it. There was a man...and a bear on a motorcycle...Both having some sort of odd hairstyle. They were driving towards the cage. The bear had jumped off and left the man stuck on it.

He was spinning. Around and around, a strong look laced on top of one that was no doubt full of fear; his hair was moving around crazily as he continued spinning in the cage. The cage lit up so brightly while he was still inside of it….

It felt like forever until the bike began to slowly stop in the middle, spinning around a few more times before it stopped completely. Everything was silent until a few mechanical beeps rang out in the dark, empty area. A butter package? He had churned someone alive and turned them into butter. 

He used the butter.

He murdered and then proceeded to eat the man right in front of them on top of plates of pancakes.

This had to be a cruel joke

There’s no way his best friend was just churned into butter and eaten in front of him. Right? 

When did he get a best friend?

Why was he still screaming?

Why was he crying?

He felt so broken all of a sudden…

What was happening to him..?

“Ishimaru! Are you okay?! Y-You started crying all of a sudden.” 

Chihiro. It was always Chihiro who found him at his lowest. 

Who knew what the boy thought of him… Perhaps he was starting to get sick of his emotional outbursts all the time. Almost anything could set him off simply because he was overwhelmed by something near him. Fujisaki deserved a strong friend, perhaps like Mondo. Those two would get along great! He could almost see them training with each other, as he’s heard Chihiro wanted to start working out to show his more masculine side. 

“Do not worry, Chihiro! It just happens sometimes! Do not worry about it all that much!” Taka had said, a smile on his face despite the tears currently rolling down his face. As he’s mentioned, Chihiro has found him crying plenty of times; making him wonder if it was intense enough to where he had to interfere and talk to him. “Something..overwhelmed me.”

“Overwhelmed…?” He repeated, watching his Prefect friend before he glanced to where Mondo had recently walked off, soon trying to gain some sort of strength to keep pushing forward with questions. “Was it because of Mondo? You’ve...told me he intimidates you sometimes.”

Intimidates? Well, he still does..but there was almost some sort of new feeling coming up whenever they talked as of recent. He knew he could not be forming a crush on the guy, they barely talked as is! Taka would never even be seen with a man, let alone a delinquent at that. But he felt as if there was really something there. Something he forgot yet remembered. He remembered his feelings. Perhaps he’s dreamt of him once before? That sounds...odd, odd and creepy!

“Mondo..? Yes and No! He was talking to me a few minutes ago… But do not be worried, we had a rather civil conversation this time around, ...Surprisingly!” He added. Chihiros head tilting for a moment as he processed the new information, he seemed shocked that they managed to not fight. He usually witnessed some of the fighting, But that was during the times where he wore a dress to hide who he really was, he never could truly stand up for Taka during most of them, But Mondo didn’t like yelling around Chihiro. So they were short-lived and continued physically later on in the day. Taka usually was never physically okay enough to give him detention afterward, but of course, he still tried! Fighting was definitely not allowed on School Grounds.

“Oh, um... Okay. If you say so..” His eyes soon backed down from the Prefect’s current gaze, his hands, no longer having the hem of a skirt to toy around with, simply rested in front of him, cupped together. “Hifumi has been trying to talk to me all of a sudden… Do you think he’d like to be my friend, Taka?”

Hifumi Yamada and Chihiro Fujisaki? Taka had to admit they were a pair he didn’t see ever becoming friends, at least close friends. However, He saw how they would work out in some ways. A Fanfic Writer and a Programmer. He knew Chihiro liked playing games and enjoyed watching those odd shows Hifumi was into; Perhaps their relationship would be based around them being game-buddies? Why does he feel like he’s seen something similar about the two of them once, or at least, about Hifumi? Hifumi did of course tell plenty of people about his Fanfics, even if they didn’t want to fully know, but as far as he was aware he never showed interest in talking to Fujisaki.

He didn’t feel good about Fujisaki being alone with Hifumi however..

“Hifumi? He certainly does prove to be a good-minded student! But I am afraid he will try to take things in really bad ways! He does still call you a girl sometimes despite your changes.” He didn’t mean to sound rude. But Chihiro gently nodded his response to the comments with a small smile.

“He doesn’t seem like that bad of a person, I think... Uh, I try to ignore his weird comments a majority of the time though.. He sometimes calls me a really weird word.” The Programmer had said, watching Taka with a cowardly gaze before he looked away again. His eyes instead wandering to where the hall monitor had been looking before he arrived.

“...A lot of our class has been trying to see if there was something else here. Are...you one of them?”

There was more people in their grade wandering around here? Maybe he wasn’t the only one assuming there were dorms nearby.. But that wouldn’t make sense, as far as he was aware, he’s the only one with some sort of head trauma; him believing it would make at the very least some sense. But Mondo had thought the same thing hadn’t he?

“Everyone else? Who else has made attempts of looking around here?” He had asked curiously. He needed to know everyone else who was stuck in the same exact boat as him right now, someone else who believed this hallway had more than just the bathhouse and cafeteria. He had almost forgotten completely about it. 

“Sayaka and Leon had tried searching around here I think, um… it was recently I believe. Me and Mondo then started looking around here last week, Then…” He trailed off, his eyes wandering to the arrival of two other people. The horrid smell of smoke following one of them around. Taka had recognized them almost immediately once the scent got into his nose.

Celestia Ludenberg and Hifumi Yamada. They also came down to take a look around..However, the gambler leading Hifumi had stopped once she had noticed Chihiro and Taka standing around the area they were heading to.

“Ah, I had not expected to run into such an intriguing pair here. How do you do?” Celestia had asked, a almost creepy tone added to her voice as she watched them, Taka almost clearly getting uncomfortable before he forced a more appropriate, confident stance instead.For some odd reason, Celestia has been making him highly uncomfortable lately.. Granted, many people were put off by her at times, but Taka was never fully taken aback from her until today. Earlier today in fact.

She still smelt like cigarettes? He figured she would’ve gotten rid of the stench of smoke by the time the day ended, likely through Junko. The girl had to have perfumes or something on her at all times right? It was rude to assume. Perhaps she really does smoke, but she doesn’t want someone to find out? He obviously wanted to change her gross, unhealthy ways right away!

“Celeste! You still smell precisely like Mondo’s cigarettes! I suggest figuring out a way to get the smell off of your clothing before somebody believes you are killing yourself with the things!” Taka had suddenly called out. Celeste seemed a little taken back by his response, but replied back with a tiny smile, her neutral face barely changing despite his rude comment.. But Hifumi had ruined the rather neutral response through an offended grunt.

“How dare you insult such a wonderful specimen to the world of 3D women?! Ms. Ludenberg always smells amazing no matter what. I demand you apologize at once, Mr. Ishimaru!” The Fanfic Creator had 

...What?

Why was that so oddly, unsettling? And sort of Creepy? Those types of vulgar remarks are certainly not allowed in a school environment, and he doubts Celeste appreciates the comment whatsoever!

“..Oh, that is very thoughtful..Hifumi. But I do not take offense to Kiyotakas comments, I do need to get the scent out of my clothing as soon as possible. He is simply being worried, is he not?” 

“....Hmph..”

...Was Hifumi wanting to argue with him? He was sure he never did anything to Hifumi whatsoever. He was a respectable student most of the time and never got in trouble; So why did he suddenly have such a problem with him? Why did he not like being near either of the two anymore? They felt dangerous to him. They both felt incredibly dangerous to him.

“I apologize for my inappropriate commenting! I did not believe it would offend either of you so greatly! Next time, I shall think about it greatly next time!” Taka had called out, his loud tone coming back as he progressively got more and more uncomfortable near them. He was one of those people who were loud all of the time, but even moreso when he was nervous. Volume is simply not important. If youre not loud how will people take you seriously?

“It is fine. Do not worry about it, truly. Now if you excuse me, what are you two staring at over here? As far as i’m aware there is only the hallway towards the incinerator.. And I doubt you both had any sort of trash on you to throw away so suddenly?” 

“I had believed I saw something in this direction, although, it appears I was wrong! Fujisaki had run into me after I had spaced out while keeping a lookout on this hallway!” He didn’t care how he got rid of them. He couldn’t do it anymore. He needed them to go away and go away fast. He was afraid. He didn’t understand it. 

“...I see. I apologize for interrupting the conversation then.. I suppose we shall be going. Perhaps you can fetch me some Milk Tea, Hifumi?” She had suggested. Something about the way they spoke to each other felt odd in a way. Why did he remember a much more hostile relationship between the two? They were always with each other, they were always...nice to each other, weren’t they?

“Of course, Mistress!” Hifumi automatically replied. Celeste making some sort of movement, almost a command, Hifumi went to it immediately moving to...pick her up and carry her. He treated the girl as if she was royalty herself, despite there being an actual princess at the school. It was strange, yet amusing to Chihiro. A really tiny muffled noise coming from the smaller male beside him. Hifumi soon carried Celeste off towards the cafeteria, which was luckily still open at the moment. Students were allowed in for snacks if they stayed afterschool.

“They seem really nice to each other.. Although, I can’t help but think Hifumi is practically a butler to her.”

“It does seem that way, but I hope they know PDA is certainly not a thing allowed in a school environment! It makes things very awkward for other students in the school, which would then cause a lot more ruckus than needed at the moment!” He replied; was carrying someone technically considered as PDA? He supposes, they are touching after all, and touches such as that can be taken in all sorts of different ways to other students.

“I guess.. But I hope things work out for them.” Chihiro said softly to himself, smiling as he stared at the door to the cafeteria. A few seconds passing before he looked back to the hall monitor beside him, who clearly was debating something involving the disappearance of many things he thought about in the school.. “I should probably head out.. I have a lot of work to do, and I’ve been working on something privately too.” 

Oh right! Chihiro had things to do as well. Everyone does. He needed to catch up on all of his studying anyway.. Studying before friendships after all! Why have friends if you can’t see them all the time because of poor grades? He was sure he could catch up on this conversation with him later.

“Of course, Fujisaki! I do have to get home and hop right into my studying! I have decided to move my studying to much earlier in the day rather than at night, hopefully I shall be fully rested once again by the time tomorrow starts!” He smiled at his friend. He wasn’t offended by him wanting to leave, he understood entirely. Chihiro had smiled at him and began to turn away, walking off soon after. 

Taka had begun leaving as well. His thoughts taking control of everything as he walked off towards the actual exit of the school, He couldn’t help but think about it more. 

He was not the only one who had the problems of thinking something that did not exist was real. Perhaps everyone has been having troubles sleeping this month, maybe something is going around. He should have everyone get their temperatures taken! As much as he hated to see someone miss out, he knew that people could not do as he did! Not everyone could ignore sickness and work! 

Not everyone was like him...


	5. Fatherly Moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiyotaka finally arrives at home. It feel strange to even be there..as if something was wrong.
> 
> He has a almost heartfelt conversation with his father, Takaaki.
> 
> But a certain girl keeps blowing up Takas phone whenever she can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually apologize for completely ignoring this story for as long as I did. I have been working on this chapter for a while, but I kept getting extremely unmotivated halfway through working on it.

Kiyotaka soon found himself beginning to walk up into a familiar area, his eyes wandering around the street he found himself walking down all the time. He never had a ride to school, he didn’t feel as if it was important enough to bother with something such as that, walking gives him time to think to himself. It also helps him out as he arrives at school earlier than everyone else, except for a few students, it allows him to finish something he began studying the night before. It never bothered him like he expected it would. The only times it ever did was when it was raining or snowing, he didn’t really own any sort of coat, only multiple other copies of his exact school uniform. But he had heard Asahina say standing out in the cold was almost like a workout, so he supposed it was good for him at that point. He was teaching himself to not be interrupted by anything through his academic career. It would be a good skill down the road.. 

He soon walked up to the door of his home, staring at the door for a moment. Something felt off about the whole thing to him, he felt as if he hadn't seen this door in such a long time, yet he remembered sleeping here last night. Perhaps Mikan was right. Maybe he was having some sort of memory or head problems right now.. He stood himself as straight as he could in front of the door, lifting up one of his hands so he could begin to firmly knock on the door. The sound of movement coming from behind it. He knew his father had grown a bit jumpy throughout the years, mostly because of the scandal that had happened. It was still affecting all of them greatly in some ways, but everyone here didn’t seem to notice all that much, at least, not to his knowledge. It was strange, but he was so used to all of the bad things that had happened to him back then. He questioned all the time why most of Hope's Peak Academy didn’t hurt him at all; there was only an occasional fight rather than one every day after school.

Takaaki soon opened the door a little bit, nervous by the fact someone had been knocking on his door, and in such an aggressive way as well. His eyes soon widening once he had realized it was instead Taka, opening the door fully now instead. “Oh, Kiyotaka! I apologize, you just...never know when a prank will happen.” 

“Of course! It is good to always be on alert..” He replied back, Takaaki soon moving out of the way so he could enter. The sound of the door being rushed shut coming from behind him. Despite their lack of money, the house always ended up being really clean and tidy looking. It didn’t take much effort to turn something nice looking, although Byakuya probably would’ve made a snarky remark already. Perhaps once he gets more money he could invest in more decorations for the home. “There was no detention duty today, so I apologize for my sudden appearance! I shall make sure to warn you more thoroughly next time this happens!”

“Oh, Oh! It’s fine. There’s no need to apologize, kid. Uh, a Nurse at your school contacted me. Told me you might have head damage. Do you need to lie down at all?” 

Ah, Mikan had told him about that. He had hoped she wouldn’t have. He didn’t need any distractions from his current routine. He already made plans to start doing his homework when he gets to his room, perhaps study for a little while, and talk to Chihiro to make sure he is doing okay on some of the topics he didn’t understand. He had to regularly help him out with tutor sessions during the week. “Not at all! I am feeling wonderful right now! Besides, I can handle a little head pain. It has never bothered me before!” 

“Ah, right. Forgot you don’t let anything really get in your way.” Takaaki said with a small chuckle, he always found his sons need and want for success amusing, but he obviously could not help but worry about him. There was always a possibility he was overworking himself. 

“Of course nothing shall get in my way! School is the most important thing in the world! Without it, I would simply have no idea what to do. Education should always come first!” He said passionately, a louder tone automatically coming to his voice the more he spoke of this topic. School was one of the best things in the world right now. A chance to learn something incredibly helpful was a gift, it had to be taken seriously. “Besides, how will I become a prime minister if I don’t show passion for these sorts of things!” 

“...Oh, you’re still going on about that. Kid, I’m sorry, but I don’t really think they’d want another Ishimaru there. You see how we get treated.. I wouldn’t want you to have so many problems because of it.”

He was doubting him. He knew his father had mixed feelings about his want to restore their honor, he cared about him. But, Taka knew he had to do this! He couldn’t let this stop him from fixing everything that had happened because of his grandfather. His parents did not deserve the treatment they got because of someone else's mistakes. The least he could do is try his hardest to fix everything bad that happened to them by proving he could be better, that the Ishimaru’s weren’t terrible people at all! “Father, I apologize if you do not enjoy what I want to do. But I must do this! I can certainly handle myself rather well in such an environment!” 

His father stared at him for a moment, having an almost sad looking expression on his face before he simply nodded his agreement. He couldn’t get in the way of his dreams. At least a dream he seemed so passionate about, passionate enough to where he’s letting his head trauma be shrugged off like it was nothing. However, he couldn’t ignore the look of hidden pain on Kiyotaka’s face right now. “You feeling alright? I can go ahead and fix you something to drink, kid. Just go ahead and sit down.” He moved toward him now, gently guiding him towards their couch, sitting him down. 

“..Father, I am fine! It is just a little headac---”

“Nonsense! You look like you’re about to knock out. Sit tight for a minute.” He said sternly, keeping one last glare onto him before he headed off towards the kitchen. Kiyotaka now being left alone in the room, his hand staying right on his head, gently rubbing it to see if it could ease the pain at least a little bit. Soon pulling his hand back to look at it, almost having a bad feeling about it. 

This was strange. He swears he was feeling things. He wasn’t bleeding from his head, but it felt as if blood was just smeared all over his hand after touching the back of his head. The throbbing pain is beginning to die down at least. But he couldn’t ignore the heavy feeling of confusion that came with his new situation. There is no way he was actually bleeding, right? If so, why did none of the blood come with his hand? He must’ve been a lot more tired than he originally anticipated. Perhaps a nap should be snuck in before his studying, Chihiro’s call would have to wait until later. He really hoped he wouldn’t mind it.

“Whoa, You okay kid? Look like you’ve seen a ghost or something..” His father soon returned, holding a teacup in his hand, placing it down in front of him with the most gentle touch he could muster. “Do you have.. A hand injury too?” 

“Hm..? Oh, not at all! I just think I may have been a lot more tired than I originally expected! I almost thought as if… something was on my hand.” He said, his tone going a lot more softer than usual, a quick way to tell he wasn’t doing that well. He always had an assertive tone, being quiet was something he rarely did. “I may take a nap before my studying instead tonight!” 

Takaaki nodded somewhat at his son's comments, soon sitting down somewhere nearby him, keeping a semi-protective stare onto him. “Kid, you really should do that more. I know you stay up a lot to study for things, and I don’t really think it’s good for you. Perhaps that’s why you’re experiencing some strange things today.” He said, a soft tone staying in his voice, wanting to keep the tone of their conversation as nice as he could. He did not want to suddenly throw a more assertive voice towards his son, not when he was struggling with something.

“Maybe I should! I shall think of ways to integrate ‘napping’ into my schedule! However, I do appreciate the concern.” Taka replied back. He always felt awkward when he was so formal towards his parents. But at this rate, he couldn’t help it. His brain was still in school mode, he felt as if he was talking to fellow students or a teacher at the moment, not to mention he was really used to these sorts of tones and phrases. He could only hope that they didn’t mind it all that much whenever they talked. 

His father chuckled somewhat, watching Kiyotaka for a moment before he took a really quick look around the house. A habit he gained not that long ago. He almost seemed to have some sort of issue with keeping his guard down; Taka really wished he understood him more.. But he couldn’t say much about it. He was young when this all started, so he never got the worst of it like his father or mother probably did, it only got worse when he got older. “..You’re doing a great job, with all of this.. None of this is making you crack yet.”

Oh. He supposed he tried his hardest to keep himself emotionally in check..but did he really seem entirely unaffected? All of this has been happening at such a young age, children enjoyed making him cry, he was always mocked or beaten up at school. Even teachers showed some sort of hatred to him, it wasn’t horrible hatred, but he could tell he was treated a little differently than everyone else. It’s how it always was, something terrible would happen every other day. 

“I try my hardest to not let anything affect me. I can’t allow such something as rude individuals keep me down!” He replied, his voice instinctively going up in volume in his confidence, Takaaki seeming slightly confused by his volume change, but smiled nonetheless. He was glad he was always able to perk him back up once in a while, “I shall fix everything that happened! People will see an Ishimaru isn’t as bad as they make us out to be!” 

“That’s what I like about you kid, you always have a spark.. No matter what.” Takaaki said, watching Taka again before he looked down at the table in front of them, beginning to slowly lose himself in his thoughts. “...You know, Kiyotaka. I do have high hopes for you and this Prime Minister idea you have going. You’d be a great leader.”

A great leader. He smiled at that. He has done so many different practices and activities out of the sake of his good heart, he wanted to show everyone else he was a good person too through this idea. He felt as if a leadership role would help him with that. It would help with pretty much everything. But he felt as if he already had a leader-like role before, and it wasn’t because of his school status either. It felt a bit different, as if he really was someone everyone..kind of listened to. “Thank you, father! I will be sure that everything will be fixed for us.”

“I don’t doubt it at all, kid... I don’t doubt it at all. I’m sure your good-hearted nature will be a wonderful thing for people to see from us..”

Taka smiled at him again. He could feel himself starting to get a little overwhelmed, it was usually rather embarrassing for him. Almost any sort of emotion (well, some of them!) was able to get him to start crying, but it was to a point where he rarely noticed if tears were already going down his face or not. It was always just a sudden reaction to something. “I appreciate the sentiment, father!” He said, keeping his most confident tone in hopes it would hide any of the distress he was feeling right now. He knew his father didn’t say anything that could have remotely upset him, but a lot was on his mind right now.. It was hard to focus. He had apparent head trauma, he passed out during class, keeps getting weird visions, and for some odd reason, he has an interest in talking to Owada. There was no way he could focus on something like this at the very moment, at least not until he processes the rest of his day first! 

“..You alright, kid? Did I overwhelm you?” His father asked, seeming a bit concerned about him now. He hated making his father worry about him, but he’s never truly gotten emotional around him since he was kid. He usually either held it until he made it into his room, or would simply just keep it in his head. He has gotten pretty decent at doing that by now, as his emotional outbursts were one of the main insults kids would go for before things went physical. 

Crying was considered weak. He didn’t hate weak people, he was one of them actually, despite working out every morning he would never fight back against another student, he would never verbally harm another student. He avoided all of it to keep himself away from becoming a bad guy, just like what people think of him now. Chihiro always got upset at him if he mentions anything about being weak. He knows Chihiro has a bad time with that word, but he knew he was one of the few strong people he really looked up to when he was transitioning himself back to a more masculine look. 

“..Not at all, father. A lot is on my mind right now. I apologize if I made you worry at all.”

He heard his father chuckle from his spot on the couch. It has been a while since he had heard him having a decent time, it was so difficult to keep things happy as they are now when really anything can happen on a whim. “..You should go get that nap, kid. You better not be studying when I check in on you. You deserve an hour at least.” 

He forgot he told him he was going to take a nap. But, perhaps the idea wasn’t too bad. Chihiro wouldn’t be needing him for a little while and there wasn’t all that much homework tonight. well..he can’t really count the one class he accidentally skipped with a nurses office trip. He wouldn’t know how to do any of the work if he got any of it. This may be one of the times where he’d have to hope Kuwata was paying attention there..but the redhead never seemed to enjoy talking to him or being in his presence. In fact, he and Owada are the ones who started making up ridiculously rude names for him whenever he had them in detention.

“Of course, father. I shall go right ahead and ‘nap’!” The prefect said, standing himself up. He took his teacup along with him, tea usually helped him sleep, and he felt really bad for not even touching it the entire time he was conversing with his father. Takaaki seemed amused by him bringing the cup with him, but he didn’t dwell on it for long. He went straight to his room to begin quickly replanning his schedule for when he woke up, which hopefully would be right before he needed to see Fujisaki for their tutor session. 

Speaking of Fujisaki.. It appeared he was trying to contact him. Without much hesitation he brought out his phone, flipping it open so he could read his messages. There were a few, but some of them proved to be unwanted. It was usually Junko Enoshima texting him really strange things, such as Sakura Ogami actually being a traitor. A traitor to what..and who? Or Celestia Ludenberg was going by a fake name this entire time. He had a small feeling about it, but gossip was never one of his interests..He never even remembered giving Junko his number so she could text him in the first place, but he supposes it’s nice to see someone have some sort of conversation with him every day. 

  
  


_“I hope I am not bothering anything..but I might have a friend with me during our tutoring..If it makes you feel any better, he might need some help too.”_

A friend? He couldn’t help but wonder who the friend could be. Maybe he really did talk to Hifumi? It was rude of him to think, but Hifumi still creeps him out for some reason. But that may be because of his rather strange interests.. “ _That is perfectly fine! Who is the friend? If you mind me asking!”_ he texted back. He was never one who texted well. He felt as if everything had to have at least decent punctuation to really show his tone in things.

_“Uh...Owada. I was training with him right after school, we cut things a little short since we both kinda struggle with dumbbells. But we still wanted to hang around each other for a little while.”_

Owada..? He knew Chihiro had been training with him for a while. But he never thought of them as being after-school buddies as well. Drats, and he was just starting to forget about how odd Owadas presence makes him feel! But he couldn’t cancel this..and maybe he really can help Owada pick up his grades a little! He sighed, beginning to type up his next response. _“That’s fine by me! I was actually thinking of trying to tutor him for a while, he certainly needs improvement!”_

_“Oh, that’s great! I really hope you two get along today.”_

He kinda hoped they would too.. It was weird, as he and Owada only fought verbally, or at least Owada would start it verbally, he’d make a few comments back, and then he would get slammed against a locker. The injuries weren’t usually awful. Owada must not want to go to detention all the time for assaulting him. He didn’t think much about it though. Junko Enoshima was once again blowing up his phone, and out of pure curiosity, he decided to see whatever nonsense she was saying this time.

_“You and Mondo Owada were best bros before you both kicked the bucket. I wonder if it was more?”_

Best bros? Kicked the bucket? Certainly, Enoshima had no clue what she was talking about. He and Mondo were both alive and well, and they definitely were not ‘best bros’ or..more? What did she mean by more? Clearly he and Owada would never have an interest in taking their currently hostile relationship into the love zone. They both hated each other and both hated what morals the other had. Mondo Owada is a dangerous, vulgar gang leader. He could never see him in any other light. 

_“I remember how you screamed when he died. It was tragic, really. You two were so inseparable to a point where it was almost gross.”_

...Screaming. Now that he was thinking about it..he remembered hearing his own screaming from somewhere in his head. Enoshima didn’t know about that, did she? It was a weird fantasy he created while he was daydreaming right? Besides, Owada turning into butter hardly seemed like a fitting death for a gang leader..it wouldn’t explain the bear or even the contraption he saw. Nothing made any sense about what she was saying..but he knew better than to take her words to heart. Enoshima loved causing drama and problems, she likely hoped he’d bring it up with Owada himself to see if he’d get beaten up by him or not. 

But why did he suddenly feel so awful about it? It was a fake comment made to upset him. Yet he took it to heart so fast..and it hurt a lot. Him and Mondo being friends, he was screaming when he died..and then he died afterward? It was certainly an odd world Junko lived in.. 

He really wishes he understood where Junko came up with any of her schemes, but he didn’t want to reply back and give her the happiness of his confusion. He had to take a nap and see Chihiro and Mondo after school. He knew Mondo was not going to have a happy reaction about it. 

He soon laid himself down onto his bed, removing his boots to keep himself at least a little comfortable as he napped. But removing his uniform wouldn’t make sense, as he’d just change right back into it when he woke up. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing to wear, but the school was important, so he usually dealt with the uncomfortable feeling of multiple layers of shirts when he slept or did anything else.. But he couldn’t help the lingering thought of him and mondo being friends. He wasn’t sure why his mind was so fascinated by that sort of make-believe story she was telling him..but he was so intrigued, happy even. It was weird..he had to get rid of that thought as soon as he could. His eyes closed in an attempt of ignoring it; to his surprise, initiating the nap actually helped him out a little bit.

He couldn’t shake his mind away from one thing, though.

...Kicked the bucket. _Death_. There was no way anyone died...

People would know. The news would say something, right?

Junko Enoshima knew exactly how to mess with him.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takaaki would totally say kid--

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, this chapter was short. I wanted to test the waters and see how far I could go with this. I am by no means a creative person nor a writer, I may try to write longer chapters if I feel the want to continue this.
> 
> I also completely blanked on how to slowly go about on introductions so like- shiT?


End file.
